This patent application is a continuation application of my pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/385,929 filed Mar. 11, 2003 now abandoned for Golf Course Green Storm Water Filter.
This application relates to a golf course green storm water filter and especially to a filter system which collects excess storm water falling on a golf green and filters out pollutants and nutrients from the water as well as traps any debris which might get into the water being drained from the green.
Ground water from heavy rains and melted snow is collected on golf course greens and the excess water must be drained from the green to keep the golf course green in playing condition. To accomplish this, drain fields are located beneath the grass on the green to capture and feed water from the green. However, the green must be fertilized and mowed on a regular basis as well as treated for insects and pests. The water falling on the greens during rain, storms and snowstorms and sprinkler systems collects nutrients not already absorbed by the grass and feeds the water having dissolved nutrients, pesticides and other contaminants therein from the drain field beneath the green to a drain pipe where it is fed to a collection basin for the water or to a lake or pond located within or adjacent the golf course. This results in an excess of pollutants and nutrients feeding into the collection basin and filters into the earth, encouraging the growth of weeks and undesirable plants, and can contaminate the ground.
The present invention is directed towards a golf course green storm water filter system which filters out a large portion of the nutrients as well as pesticides, insecticides and other contaminants from the water being fed from the green prior to the water entering into a collection basin.
In the past, related problems have been encountered in storm drain systems where ground water from heavy rain or melted snow is collected in storm sewer catch basins and flows into an underground storm drain or sewage line. The water flows into the basin through openings in a grate placed on top of the basin to prevent larger solids from entering the basin. Conventional storm sewer filters remove solids from the water before the water flows into the catch basin. These filters are typically made of a porous material and located above grate level and mainly capture debris, such as grass cuttings and the like.
One prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,663 to Applicant is for a storm drain filter system which is placed beneath the grate of the entrance to a storm water catch basin and especially to a filter system which collects the entering storm water and filters out hydrocarbons, such as automobile oil, sand, and debris, such as grass clippings, from the storm water to provide a cleaner water to the storm pipe by passing the drainage water onto an oil filter boom and then into a container having fine screen filter outlets at the bottom and courser screen filters on the sides and having an overflow opening near the top of the container.
The present invention is directed towards a golf course green storm water filter system and especially to a filter system which will remove nutrients, insecticides, and pesticides from the water being drained from a golf course green. Soluble nutrients, such as phosphorous and nitrogen compounds, are difficult to remove from the water and they are especially prevalent in the water since golf greens must be fertilized in an aggressive schedule.